


I'll Fight the World for You

by Delly_WithAPen



Category: Doki Doki Literature Club! (Visual Novel)
Genre: Bullying, Eventual Romance, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Mild Language
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-29
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2020-09-29 17:42:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 10,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20439950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Delly_WithAPen/pseuds/Delly_WithAPen
Summary: Natsuki finds Yuri hurt in the bathroom, and it isn't what you think(I made this a few years ago, and I'm somewhat proud of it so I'd like to put it up)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Sayori Saito  
Yuri Fujiwara   
Natsuki Akamine  
Monika Drescher

While Natsuki tends to act aggressive and belligerent toward other students, she never takes to bullying too far. Yuri is always harassed by groups of bullies, whether because they’re jealous of her--ahem, assets--or just because she’s such an easy target too passive to confront them and make them stop.  
On a particular day, Natsuki goes into the girls’ bathroom, to find Yuri sprawled across the floor, pitifully beaten down. Her hair has been cut short into a messy bob, and the sweater vest of her uniform is torn down the middle. Her shirt and blazer are open, revealing her chest held in a simple black bra. Yuri’s eyes are glazed over, as if in a daze by whatever has just happened to her.  
Natsuki freezes, unsure between helping her immediately or running to get Sayori and Monika from the club. Slowly, she kneels down beside the girl, moving her indigo locks messily behind her ear; Yuri always had such beautiful hair, who would cut it off? Glancing over the long strands of purple strewn about, Natsuki’s eyes fall onto a glimmering pair of barber shears.  
“What the fuck”, she mutters, anger swelling up inside of her chest. She never considered Yuri her friend, even after the months they spent together in the Literature Club. If not for Sayori’s interposing, she’s certain their frequent arguments would’ve escalated physically on at least several occasions. Feeling regret for their difficult relationship, Natsuki reaches out and begins to button up Yuri’s shirt. Unfortunately, a few buttons have been ripped off due to the force of opening it by her tormentors, leaving only three areas actually covering her skin.  
“I-I’m sorry.”  
Natsuki pauses at the blazer, peering over at Yuri’s face. Tears prick her violet eyes, shame imminent in her face. Confused, Natsuki continues to silently straighten out the girl’s clothes, albeit difficult with the pair still on the floor. She lifts Yuri’s head and shoulders off the ground, resting them onto her own lap.  
“Do you know who did it?”, Natsuki asked in a hushed whisper. She wanted to match a face with this terrible scene unraveled in front of her, she wanted a name to strain her ears for in the hallway. She wanted revenge.  
Tears spilling over her bruised face, Yuri inhales shakily, “I, I don’t want to cause any trouble…”  
“You know I have to tell Monika, right?”  
Her eyes widen in fear, “N-no! Please, Natsuki, don’t tell her. It’ll just get worse!” Yuri tries to sit up, but Natsuki holds her shoulders down, gritting her teeth to keep herself from screaming at her.  
“Honestly, I don’t see how this could get any worse than it is right now.”  
In that instant, a cheerful call resounds the bathroom, from a girl with an open blazer and little red bow in her hair.  
“Naatsukii! You’ve been in the bathroom a long time, did you fall in again? Ehehehe!” The girl skips into view, before skidding to a halt, her smile falling immediately.  
“Sayori, go get Monika”, Natsuki flatly orders, not even turning to look at their sudden intruder.  
“Ah! O-okay. Monikaaa!” Sayori runs out, shouting for the club president.  
Natsuki, her anger long simmering to sympathy, lightly strokes the girl’s dark bangs. Yuri has stopped struggling, and allows the physical contact. Half-lidded eyes gaze into fuschia-colored ones. Seeing Yuri so, so vulnerable, Natsuki feels her cheeks turn as pink as her hair.  
“I’m here! What happened to Yu-”, Monika gasps as her eyes fall onto the girls, rushing over to sit the poor girl up and look over her injuries.  
“Yuri, who did this? They need to face consequences”, Monika’s visage darkens with suppressed outrage.  
“Please, I just want to let this go. If I tell on them, they’ll be angry…”  
“Yuri! As president, it is my responsibility to ensure the safety of my club members. If I don’t take action, how could I continue calling myself that?” Monika pleads with the girl for answers, while Sayori cleans up the discarded purple locks with a broom she brought. Natsuki goes over the girls’ bathroom entrance and keeps lookout. Yuri probably wouldn’t want any strangers to find her like this.  
“At least let me help clean you up. We’ll go to the clubroom, and use the first aid kit for those scrapes and bruises”, Monika gently takes Yuri’s hand, and leads her to the Literature club. As they pass by Sayori, she chirps a quick thank you to the girl for cleaning the mess. Natsuki stays behind to wait for Sayori, then the two make their way to the classroom.  
“Natsuki, do you, do you know what happened? Who would do something like this to our Yuri?” Sayori asks worriedly, unaware of her friend’s past of being bullied.  
“Sayori, Yuri gets picked on all the time. I never thought some shitheads would go this far, but I knew the names circulating around school about her.”  
Sayori stops, “Wait, what?! You knew she was being bullied, and didn’t stick up for her?”  
“Look, I was thought that was her business, so I never got involved. But now, it’s different. Maybe if I helped her before, this wouldn’t have happened, or maybe they would’ve done it to me. I don’t know. What I do know is that these assholes took things way too far, and now I’m completely pissed.”  
Sayori’s face scrunches up in deep thought, “Do you have any idea who did this?”  
“Not really, but maybe we can convince Yuri to tell us.”  
“And then, revenge time”, Sayori grins, punching a fist into her open palm. They continue their way to the clubroom, and find Monika sitting atop a desk, dabbing Yuri’s face with a cotton ball. Yuri winces, but doesn’t shift in her seat, clenching her fists on her lap.  
Monika notices the two girls as they walk in, “Ah, there you are! I’m just about finished patching her up.”  
Natsuki and Sayori sit at nearby desks, watching Monika as she lightly thumbs a few bandages over Yuri’s bruised cheeks. She quietly thanks her, before unconsciously reaching for her book bag beside her. However, she realizes there is nothing by her desk.  
“Oh, right”, she whispers to herself.  
Natsuki’s sharp ears overhear this, “What happened? I didn’t see your bag in the bathroom with you.”  
Yuri fidgets with her messy bob apprehensively, “Well, it was, in a stall. They, um, ruined my book.”  
“How?” Natsuki stands up, rage bubbling back to the surface.  
She gulps, “Um, they tore out the pages and, f-flushed them.” As soon as the words escape Yuri’s mouth, Natsuki’s palms slam on to her desk. She grabs Yuri by the collar forcefully, bringing their faces uncomfortably close together.  
“Tell me who did it! They hurt you, and I need to watch them suffer! Spit it out, Yuri!”  
Sayori and Monika pull on Natsuki’s arms, trying to release her grasp on the poor girl. She continues shouting at Yuri, demanding the names of her bullies. Tears start to flow down Natsuki’s cheeks, desperate for the truth.  
“It was Sasaki!”  
Everyone freezes as the name echoes through the room walls. Of course it was Sasaki, the leader of delinquent girls who are constantly suspended for fighting, smoking at school, and harassing other students. Many of the boys try to steer clear of them, and teachers try to get them expelled. But they just keep coming back.  
Natsuki knows Sasaki from a fight they had a few weeks ago that got her suspended. Her father was beyond disappointed, and grounded her for a month.  
Yuri shudders in fear for what she had just done, “They told me not to t-tell anyone, or else they would m-mess with all of you. I didn’t want anyone to be harmed as collateral.”  
“Well then,” Monika put a hand on the girl’s shoulder, “we’ll just have to bear it together.”


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Natsuki finds her locker covered in spray paint. She can vaguely make out the black words ‘LOSER’, ‘MIDGET’ and ‘DUMBASS’ dripping onto the floor. With a huff, she combs a hand through her short pink hair, remembering Yuri’s forced haircut yesterday.   
“Sasaki…” she mutters under her breath, thinking up a course of action to deal with the Literature Club’s new antagonistic rival. Monika’s very popular, so she could use connections around the school to gain an advantage. Sayori’s always cheerful and a little airheaded, but the club members all know that she just puts up a front. Everyone underestimates her intelligence because of her low grades, but they’re mostly from missing assignments Sayori can’t find any motivation to do. Yuri has a knife collection…  
“Natsuki~ Hey, Earth to Natsuki!”, Sayori’s flailing hand suddenly envelopes her vision. She snaps out of her daze, hides all worry with an irritated expression, and joins Sayori on her way to their first period class together. As they sit through pre-calculus, Natsuki can’t focus on anything the teacher says, her mind wandering back to Yuri. Until a spitting sound is heard behind her, and a faint tap on the back of her head catches her attention.   
Reaching behind, Natsuki feels a soggy clump of white note paper. A spitball. Some bastard just shot her with a spitball. She spins her head around, glaring at the girl a few rows back, lips curled into a smirk around a straw.   
Natsuki peers over at Sayori, sitting by the teacher’s desk. They wouldn’t risk messing with her in view of a teacher during class, so Sayori’s safe in first period. But she knows that her friend’s second class is gym, and there could be a few of Sasaki’s goons there. If it’s dodgeball, Sayori’s doomed.  
“Miss Akamine, if you would please listen to my lecture”, the teacher points to Natsuki, “This will be on the test Monday.”  
“Yes, ma’am”, she replies flatly. The next few spitballs draw no further reaction from her.  
The next few classes fly by without much incident, and lunch starts with the four girls meeting up at the clubroom. Monika is first to arrive, as usual, with Yuri following suit. Sayori and Natsuki enter a bit later, having gotten their lunches as snacks from the vending machines. They eat together in peace, unwilling to sour the mood with mention of yesterday’s episode.  
Suddenly, Sayori stands up, “Oh! That’s right, I got you something, Yuri~” she rummages through her backpack for a minute, before pulling out a paperback novel decorated with dark red splotches.  
“I went to the bookstore yesterday, and I couldn’t find the Portrait of Mothra-”  
“Markov”, Natsuki intercepts.  
“Yeah, Markrob, but I did find this book and thought you might like it!”  
Sayori presses the novel into Yuri’s delicate hands, beaming. Yuri’s violet eyes sparkle in gratitude for the lovely gesture.  
“T-Thank you so much, Sayori. This is very kind of you”, she holds the book close to her chest, as if cautious not to let it slip from her grasp. A pang of jealousy hits Natsuki. Why didn’t she think of getting her a book?  
“So, how has the day been for everyone so far?” Monika asks slowly, she seems to be hiding something. The others exchange looks of discontent.  
“Well, some bitch hit me with spitballs in math”, she blows a stray pink hair out of her face in frustration. Sayori nods, and recounts second period gym class as she had been pelted with rubbery dodgeballs the entire time. Yuri just remains silent, staring at her hands on the desk.  
“I’m sorry I caused you all so much trouble. I didn’t mean for this to happen,” Yuri hides her face behind her fingers.  
“W-wait a second, it’s not your fault for them being shitty to you. And besides, we wanted to know to help you. What I don’t understand is how they knew you told us…” Natsuki ponders, remembering that Yuri told them after school with almost no one around.   
Monika points herself out, “Actually, I told the school administrators immediately after you all left yesterday. Sasaki’s currently suspended, but because she was the only one outed, none of her friends are in trouble yet.”  
“Wait, yet?” Sayori cocks her head to the side. “What do you mean, Monika?”  
The girl smiles eerily, her white bow fluttering in a chilly breeze. But there are no open windows, Natsuki thinks.  
“Nobody harms my club members, and goes unpunished.”


	3. Chapter 3

“But won’t messing with them just lower ourselves to their level?” Yuri worries. Natsuki agrees, claiming Monika’s scheme to be dramatic and unnecessarily out of their way. She would much rather find Sasaki’s house and beat the shit out of her personally.   
“We won’t be bullying them per say. We’ll just, keep them in line is all,” Monika’s smile never falters as she smoothly speaks. With help from Yuri, Monika will identify all of the delinquents involved in the bullying. Through her many connections around the school, she will be able to learn their schedules, relationships, and locations they typically reside. It’s almost creepy how well Monika can arrange someone’s demise, and remain calm about it.  
“So, what are we gonna do?” Natsuki glances over to the clubroom door, expecting someone to barge in and catch them.  
“Simple. Every time they’re about to commit a bad deed, we stop them”, Monika replies coolly.   
Sayori suddenly jumps up, “It’s like we’re superheroes!” She’s immediately shushed by the rest of the group, before apologizing with a nervous grin on her face. Plopping back into her seat, she gingerly plays with a section of Yuri’s chopped hair.  
“I think we can fix this too, Yuri. With a little trimming, it’ll look more even.”  
Monika pulls out a composition notebook, and her favorite heart pen, “Here, we can all meet up at my house tomorrow morning. We’ll be able to discuss the plans further there.”  
Handed a scrap of loose-leaf with an address scribbled down, Natsuki packs up her belongings and follows the others out of the clubroom. On her way home, she thinks back to first period, and that girl who shot spitballs at her. She remembers Yuri’s shredded vest, today it had been closed with a row of safety pins. It’s so painfully obvious, yet Natsuki doubts any teachers had mentioned it. She wonders how Yuri’s parents reacted when she came home in such a state yesterday, and thinks about what her own dad would have done. Probably go to Sasaki’s house with a baseball bat.  
Reaching her house, Natsuki bounds up the old wooden porch steps, each plank emitting a low groan under her weight. She enters, immediately climbing the stairs toward her bedroom. Her father won’t come back from work until late evening, anyway. Not that she’d ever admit it aloud, but Natsuki sometimes wishes he would spend some more time with her. She calls his work phone, just as she does everyday after school when she gets home, and asks permission to go to Monika’s tomorrow.   
“Will there be any boys there?”  
“No, Papa. Just Monika and the others.”  
“You won’t be drinking or, doing any drugs, will you?”  
“Dad! I promise, my friends aren’t like that!”  
“Hm, okay, you can go. Just make sure to be back home before dark.”  
With affirmation, Natsuki begins cooking dinner for herself and baking a batch of homemade cupcakes to bring tomorrow. She wolfs down a ham and cheese sandwich hungrily, then focuses on her freshly steaming pastries. Only needing five cupcakes, since Sayori would most likely want two, Natsuki leaves one for her father once he gets home late tonight. The buttercream frosting is thick enough to hold a little heart made of chocolate icing in the center.  
The next morning, she picks out a plain white tank top with ripped jeans, their faded blue hue looks almost bleached. Natsuki roughly pulls on a pink denim jacket, before quietly scuttling downstairs toward the kitchen. She smiles at a crumb-covered note resting on the counter: Thanks for the cupcake, sweetheart. Love you  
It’s the little gestures the two of them do for each other that keeps Natsuki assured he truly cares about her, despite his busy work hours and strict authority around the house. Grabbing her wrapped plate of treats, she slips out the front door and begins her walk to Monika’s house.


	4. Chapter 4

Shifting her weight onto her left leg, Natsuki hesitantly presses the bottom silver button of Monika’s apartment complex. She hears a soft click, then a crackle before a voice speaks up.   
“Natsuki? Is that you?”  
“Uh, yeah. Am I too early, I can come back later…”  
The voice booms with unbridled confidence, “Nonsense! You’re actually right on time. Yuri’s already here, and we’re just waiting for Sayori now.”  
A low buzz echoes through Natsuki’s ears, inviting her into the deep blue building. She wanders passed a few doors and stops in front of Room 07. Without even a chance to knock, the brown wooden entrance is thrown open as Monika pulls her inside. Peering over her neighbors’ rooms, she hastily shuts the door.   
“What the fuck, Monika? I almost dropped them!”  
“Sorry, sorry. I’m just a little paranoid is all. Anyway, feel free to make yourself at home!”  
Natsuki turns toward the apartment, her eyes scanning past a compact kitchen space and somewhat spacious living room. She spots Yuri sitting uncomfortably stiff on the red leather couch, biting at her fingernails nervously. The girl seems to not have even noticed her yet, lost in her own thoughts. Quietly placing the cupcakes on a nearby table, Natsuki steps closer to get her attention.  
Seeing a blur of pink flash in her peripheral, Yuri flinches, “Ah! N-natsuki, I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you come in.”  
“You okay, Yuri? You seem to be spacing out a bit.”  
“Yes, I’m fine. I was just, thinking, about the incident. It’s all still quite difficult for me to process fully.”  
Natsuki plops down next to her, leaning far back into the leathery cushions, “You wanna talk about it? You don’t have to, of course, but I’d be willing to listen, you know.”  
A small smile graces her lips, “Thank you, Natsuki, but I’m not sure how to begin telling you. I actually don’t even remember entering the bathroom, just menacing figures hitting me and a snipping sound of shears behind my head. I saw Sasaki rip my book apart, before hearing the toilet flush. I felt, so weak and helpless. But then, you were there, by my side.”   
Hearing Yuri recount the end of her torment, Natsuki blushes.   
“Okay everyone”, Monika suddenly strolls through the room, “Now that Sayori is here, we can finally get started.”   
Sayori’s head pops out from the kitchen, “Ah HA! I thought I smelled cupcakes!”  
She skips over to the others, before bouncing onto the arm of the couch. Her balance wavers until Natsuki pushes against her back, her attention momentarily ripped away from Yuri by their friend’s spontaneous entrance. Monika swiftly paces over toward the front of the living room, her large white bow billowing softly in the breeze from her jaunt. She glances over to Sayori, who meets her gaze with a sudden flash of realization.   
“Oh, right! Yuri, do you still want me to fix your hair?”, she pulls out a pair of barber shears--seemingly from out of nowhere--and snips through the air a few times.   
Yuri looks visibly nervous at the sight of the scissors, but eventually nods after some thought. The two leave for the bathroom and Monika reserves the accompanying leather seat for herself, peering over to Natsuki by her side.   
“Hey, listen. I know you like to act tough in front of others, but you can’t fool me. You care about Yuri, I can tell. And we’re all going to ensure just punishment those girls who did this to her deserve.”  
The girl looks away in discontent, her fists clenched atop her lap. She flinches when Monika rests a hand on her shoulder, unsure of how to react. While Natsuki’s usually very vocal about her frustrations, this time she finds difficulty in articulating her thoughts on the matter, especially regarding Yuri.  
As if reading her mind, Monika asks, “How did you feel when you found her in the bathroom?”  
“What, are you a therapist now or somethin’?”  
“Just answer the question, Natsuki, it’ll make you feel better if you talk about it.”  
She shifts uncomfortably in her seat, having to blow a stray pink strand of hair out her face, “Well, I guess I felt… confused at first? Like, I didn’t know if she’d been raped, or killed, and I never saw this kinda thing before. I wondered if I should go find you and Sayori, but if she needed medical attention right away… I-I got really scared, you know? Yuri and I fight a lot, but, I do care for her, and seeing her like that…”  
Natsuki hides her face in her hands, shaking from the memory. Monika rubs her back sympathetically, whispering soft reassurances in her ear. Suddenly, the two hear sounds of the bathroom door opening and footsteps approaching.  
“Okay, guys. What do you think?”, Sayori leads Yuri into the living room, the girl brushing her fingers through her short purple locks nervously. Natsuki looks up, and her eyes widen in surprise. Yuri’s hair, previously reaching her lower back, was now hovering above her shoulders and held back in a black barrette. She looks as beautiful as ever.


	5. Chapter 5

“Um, Natsuki? Is everything okay?” Yuri’s voice--her soft, deep, luscious voice--snaps Natsuki out of her trance.   
“What? Yeah, everything’s fine. I don’t know why you’d even ask.”  
Monika pinches the girl’s thigh from beside her, “No need to be so jumpy, Natsuki, she just wants our opinion.”   
Her face twists into discomfort, both from the pinch, and the thoughts racing through her mind about Yuri. She looks over to Sayori, who appears saddened at her friend’s reaction to her work.   
“Uh, you… you did a good job, Sayori. Yuri looks… she, um, she looks pretty. But I mean, it’s not like you were really bad-looking before, in fact I think you- wait, um…” Natsuki forces herself to stop speaking, and turns away from everyone’s gaze, “You look fine, okay?! It’s whatever!”   
Monika smiles down at her, then turns to the girls, “You look beautiful as always, Yuri. And Sayori? I never knew how skilled you are with cutting hair!”   
Yuri wrings her hands, “Ah, thank you, Monika. And thank you again, Sayori.”  
“Ehehe, I’m just good at making straight lines.”  
“Now then,” Natsuki finally pulls herself together, “how are we going to go about this?”  
Monika leans forward, her elbows resting precariously on her knees and hands folded in front of her mouth, “We simply have to keep watch if they try to harass someone.”   
“Yeah, I know, but how do we intervene?”  
“Tape recording, staff interference, sabotage, just don’t,” Her green eyes flash to Natsuki’s pink, “confront them directly. We can’t let them know that it’s us.”  
Sayori fidgets, “But, what if they target one of us?”   
“Oh, they most definitely will target us, but I’ve got that covered.”  
“Really?”  
Monika nods, “If any of us find ourselves isolated and under attack, we try to get to the clubroom.”  
“How the hell is that going to help? The door doesn’t lock without a-”  
“-Key?” Monika pulls a shiny, silver key seemingly out of nowhere. She flicks her fingers, and three more fan out from behind the first, each with a different colored card suit in their centers.  
“Woah! So cool!” Sayori reaches for them. Monika hands her the second key, decorated with a blue suit of diamonds.   
Yuri is handed the third, that holds a purple suit of spades, and Natsuki receives the fourth, with a pink suit of clubs. Monika is then left with the very first key, with a green suit of hearts.   
“How did you get these?” Yuri asks.  
“I’m the club President. I’m in charge of closing up the clubroom after meetings, so I went to a hardware store and got copies made.”   
“So, we just run away hoping to hide in the clubroom until- what, they go away?”   
“Natsuki, do you think they’ll persist in chasing someone who’s locked themselves in a room, or would they give up to find somebody else to mess with?”  
“I mean, I guess. It just seems so risky, though.”   
“Would you rather we go over their individual schedules together and stay as a group when they do?”  
Yuri raises her hand, “Um, I-I favor that concept.”   
Sayori hops, “Can I still keep my key?!”   
“We’ll have the keys to use as emergencies in case one of them targets us. Including Sasaki, there are seven in their group, and only four of us, so we can’t keep an eye on each at once. We’ll have to rotate systematically.”   
Natsuki glances over to Yuri, noticing the girl shudder and wince.   
“Do you already know their schedules?”  
Monika pulls a red folder out from under her coffee table, “We got cupcakes and tea so mull this over with, so how about we get started?”   
Sayori rushes to retrieve the plate of cupcakes Natsuki brought, and Yuri enters the kitchen, returning with a kettle and four small cups.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story will be updated more irregularly than my other ones. I'm sorry!


	6. Chapter 6

“Hey, Pancake!”  
Natsuki shuts the front door behind her, “Hey, Popsicle.”  
“How was your time with-uhh… shoot,” her father snaps his fingers a few times, staring up at the ceiling.  
“Monika.”  
He points to her, “Yes, Monika. And… Saori and Yui.”  
The girl hops upstairs toward her room, “Sayori and Yuri, Papa.”  
“Well, it’s easier to remember names when I have faces to match!” he calls after her, “Am I ever gonna be able to meet these girls? You can bring ‘em over next Friday!”  
Natsuki bounds back down, buttoning up her polka-dot pajama shirt, “Do you promise not to stay late at work that day?”  
He raises his right hand high, his left hovering in the air like it’s resting on a Bible in court, “I solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”  
“And?”  
“And the truth is I have no idea if my boss will jerk me around next week.”  
Natsuki groans.  
“I’m sorry, honey, but I don’t want to get your hopes up. That’s not fair to you,” her father brightens, “but why don’t you tell me about these friends, eh? They seem nice enough for you to want to hang out with them outside of school.”  
She flops next to him on the couch, his television program reduced to white noise as he turns his full attention to her.  
“So, Monika’s the literature club president, and she's actually a foreign exchange student from Germany,” he looks impressed, “she’s really smart, athletic, caring--the full package, basically. Before she made the club, she was on debate, and a few sports.”  
“Sounds like a busy gal.”  
Natsuki smiles, “Yeah, now she’s learning piano! Okay, uh, next is Sayori. She’s vice president-”  
“Oh, well naturally she should be next.”  
“Yeah, so she’s like, the glue that keeps everyone together? Yuri and I… tend to argue,” she rubs the back of her head, “and Monika’s not good at breaking us up, but Sayori’s really, like, empathetic and understanding. And she’s really artistic, too, and has a black hole for a stomach.”  
“Just like your old man,” he pats his belly, causing the two of them to laugh.  
“So, then there’s Yuri. She’s like, the smartest person I know. She’s also really into horror novels and thrillers, but it’s weird because she has a lot of anxiety and I would’ve thought she’d get easily scared.”  
“I mean, I hate clowns but axe-wielding maniacs on T.V. don’t scare me much, you know?”  
“True. Um, she gets bullied a lot, too.”  
“She does? Do you know who’s done it?”  
Natsuki tenses, “No, I-uh I don’t know if there’s any specific person, but Monika’s pretty mad about it.”  
“Are you?”  
“Yeah. I’m pissed, she doesn’t deserve that! She’s awkward, but so are a lot of people, and she’s not a jerk to anyone. She doesn’t talk down to others or anything like that.”  
“You know if her parents have tried going to the school?”  
“I dunno. Yuri never actually talks about them.”  
The man hums, “Touchy subject, maybe. I’m guessing she’s really into the literature part of the literature club.”  
“Hehehe, yeah. Like, she comes up with these really elegant words and describes things in so much detail, it’s crazy.”  
They talk for longer before her father looks down at his watch, “Oh, you gotta get to bed soon. You have school in the morning.”  
“Okay, goodnight Papa,” she gives him a kiss to his cheek, his stubble scratching her face. He wraps her middle into a quick hug.  
Natsuki brushes her teeth, takes out her hair ribbons, and checks her phone for messages. Answering Monika’s text that she arrived home safely, she climbs into bed and lies awake thinking about Yuri’s tormentors until she finds herself in a strange dream. One where a faceless boy joins the club and makes everything fall apart. Sayori hangs herself before being erased from existence, Yuri bleeds to death in the club room, and her own neck breaks. The faceless boy drives Monika insane, and literally deletes her from the world.  
Waking up, Natsuki immediately forgets what she just dreamt, and gets ready for school, “Damn it, I never remember my dreams. Maybe I shouldn’t play around on my phone so late... Whatever, it’s not like they’re that important.”


	7. Chapter 7

“Please give it back. I’m going to be late for practice!”  
Sayori overhears laughter from around the corner. Carefully, she peeks around the wall to witness two girls teasing a band member. She can see a flute held above their heads, the owner jumping up in a futile attempt to retrieve it. Reeling back, Sayori looks around in a panic.  
“Oh jeez, oh jeez, okay, so we’re doing this now, huh?” she whispered to herself. Out of sight, there’s a resounding smack, like skin on skin contact.   
Suddenly, she sees red. A fire alarm mounted beside a row of lockers. It was a mere three feet away, but it might as well have been a mile. Closing the distance, Sayori swallowed a pool of spit and let out a shaky breath.   
“I’m sorry, Monika, Yuri. I know you both have a test right now. And you’re welcome, Natsuki, for getting you out of your presentation. Dang it, I still really have to go to the bathroom. Maybe I can-” another smack, then a slam, “Yeah, okay I’ll hold it a little longer.”  
She grasps the handle and pulls, bracing for the horrible sound. Bright lights blare before a mechanical shriek erupts from above.   
“Guess that’s my cue to leave,” Sayori runs back down the hallway, classroom doors opening to be evacuated from the imaginary fire. She spots Natsuki on her way outside, and squirms past other students to join her friend.   
“Hey, Natsuki!”  
“Hm? Oh, hey. Do you know what’s going on?”  
“What?!”  
The girl groans, then cups her hands around her mouth, “I’ll wait to ask outside!”  
Leading Sayori away from their classmates, Natsuki smacks her arm, “Ow-”  
“I know you have something to do with this. Did you blow up the microwave in the teacher’s lounge or something?”  
“No! Not this time, I swear! Okay, so,” she looks around for witnesses, “I saw some of the girls picking on a band member on my way to the bathroom. They started to get physical in a not-so-fun way and I didn’t know what else to do, so I…”  
“So you fake a dangerous situation that draws the whole school out of the building.”  
“... Yes.”   
Natsuki sighs, “I guess it can’t be helped. Let’s just go find Yuri and Monika.”  
The pair weave around clusters of classmates, stretching their necks out to peer over heads. Eventually, they hear a familiar voice behind them.  
“There you are!” Monika tugs Yuri by her hand, “We’ve been looking for you both.”   
Yuri plays with a strand of hair, “Are you two okay? This doesn’t appear to be a drill.”  
“We’re okay!” Sayori beams.  
Natsuki points to her, “Also Sayori did it.”  
“What?! Natsuki, how could you?!”  
“What do you mean ‘how could I’? You pulled it!”  
“Yeah, but don’t just throw me under the bus like that!”  
Monika places a finger to her chin, “Is it really throwing someone under the bus if they actually did it without any other involvement?”  
“The phrase is a disavowal that betrays an ally in the act of protecting oneself from responsibility. If Natsuki did nothing wrong, then she would simply be telling on you.”  
“Yuri, whose side are you on?” Sayori huffs, “Well, at least that girl got away.”  
“What girl?”  
“I don’t go around pulling fire alarms for no reason. Have a little faith in me!”  
Monika blinks, then smiles brightly, “Alright, how about I buy you a snack as a reward, and an apology for not trusting your judgement?”  
The girl hums, “I believe that is an acceptable form of payment. Oh, as long as it has chocolate!”  
Soon, students and faculty reenter the school, and resume classes. The day ends without any other incidents, leaving the girls free to share their poems in peace. Sayori reads over Yuri’s poem with a wide grin.   
“This might sound ruder than I want, but I had no idea you could write something so uplifting! The monster part is expected, since you like dark things, but why did you save it from the mob?”  
“Ah, I wanted to personify my insecurities, and as they are faced with persecution by society, so is its figurative form.”  
“I see. So it really is sad, that you see part of yourself as a monster…”  
“However,” a small smile grows on her lips, “I am self-reflecting that part as of recently. Because even though it would have caused nothing but trouble, you all helped me with Sasaki. You are still helping me, in fact, and others from their harassment.”  
“Does this poem have two meanings, then?”  
“Although very similar, yes. And by the way, Sayori, I admire your work today.”  
“Really? You really liked my poem?”  
“That wasn’t quite what I was referring to, but I also enjoyed your writing very much.”   
They discuss nuances and allegories until Monika announces the end of the meeting.


	8. Chapter 8

The banging grows louder as her attackers start to kick at the door. Yuri backs further into the clubroom, her body shaking in fear.   
“This wasn’t supposed to happen, this wasn’t supposed to happen,” she mumbled. It had been three bullies against a freshman boy, pushing him to the ground when he couldn’t give them any money. She stayed out of sight when she directed a teacher to them, but wasn’t expecting the group of girls to turn the corner.   
“Come out, bitch!”  
“We already saw you! If you don’t come out right now, we’ll hunt you down tomorrow!”   
Yuri pulled out her phone, and swiped into her contacts. Monika would be able to help her. Before pressing the call button, however, her eyes fly to Natsuki’s name just below it. Her focus is broken by more yelling, and she quickly taps the button to call Monika.   
After two rings, there is a soft ‘click’, “Hello?”  
“Monika, I’m-I’m in the clubroom and they’re trying to get in,” she whimpers.  
“I’ll be right there!”  
Yuri pockets her phone and rushes into the closet, closing the door and sitting in front of its shelves. She pulls her knees to her chin and squeezes her eyes shut, before the banging stops. There’s a jiggling sound outside, and the door to the classroom opens.   
“Yuri? I’m here, it’s okay,” Monika’s voice calls out, “I can text Sayori and Natsuki to come by and we’ll all just start the club meeting now.”  
She can see her friend’s outline through the small window of the closet door, and flinches as the girl softly knocks.  
“Yuri?” the door opens, and Monika walks over to sit beside her.  
“I… I got… scared.”  
“Hey, that’s alright! You’re safe now, I won’t let them get you,” she fishes her phone out from the pocket of her blazer, “I’m going to message the girls.”  
Within a couple minutes, the two hear loud footsteps coming closer, and Yuri braces for another beating from Sasaki.   
“Hey, I’m here!” a high voice huffs out, sounding out of breath.   
Monika smiles, “We’re in the closet.”  
Yuri lifts her head to find Natsuki standing by the doorway, her eyebrows knitted in concern. She shifts her weight onto her other foot.  
“Um, Yuri, are you o-”  
“Yuri!” Sayori runs into view, throwing her arms around the girl in a hug, “Are you alright?!”  
“Yes, I’m not hurt. Just a little on edge,” her gaze flickers back to Natsuki in time to see her shoulders relax.  
Sayori pulls away to look her in the eyes, “Well, we’re just going to have to fix that!”   
She turns to a large teapot sitting on one of the shelves, and carries it out of the closet in her arms. The girls help Yuri to her feet and walk her to an empty desk as Sayori returns, the pot sloshing with water.   
“I at least know that you need water to make tea, but that’s the extent of my knowledge hehehe.”  
“Ah, thank you, Sayori,” she stands and reaches out her hands, “I can take it to heat up the water now.”  
“No no no! I wanna do it for you!” the girl trots back into the small room.  
Monika sighs and follows her, “I’ll just make sure she does it right. How high on the hot plate?”  
“Second level for a few minutes, then you can give me the bag of leaves to add.”  
She nods, and leaves Yuri alone with Natsuki. The pair sit in silence for a moment before Natsuki clears her throat.  
“So, tomorrow’s Friday, and my dad won’t be home until really late. I was thinking, I don’t know, maybe you can come over? I could make something for dinner?”  
She thinks over her previous Friday night, spent alone with the new book Sayori gifted her and a glass of wine. Then, she decides that spending time with Natsuki sounds more appealing.   
Yuri smiles, “I would like that very much.”


	9. Chapter 9

Natsuki matches the quick tempo of the music with her broom, sweeping up dirt and crumbs into a pile on the hardwood floor before pushing it onto the dustpan. She’d asked Yuri to head to her own house and change out of her uniform, giving her time to clean the house. Having already dusted and wiped down the counter in the kitchen and the dining and coffee tables, she rushes to the garbage bin and shakes the dirt off. She’s so absorbed in her task, that she almost misses the doorbell ring. Scurrying through the house, Natsuki throws open the door.  
“Hey-Hey, Yuri!” she pants out, her face flushed.  
“Hello, Natsuki,” the girl fidgets with her book bag slung around her shoulder, “Did I come too early?”  
“Huh? Ah, no, not at all, come on in,” she steps aside, gesturing to the living room. Hesitantly, Yuri enters, scanning the walls for decorations. Hanging above the television is a photograph of Natsuki in preschool, and several shelves hold sports paraphernalia. A newspaper and some books are neatly stacked atop the coffee table.   
“I was nervous when I saw you still in your school uniform,” she murmurs.   
Her brows furrowed, Natsuki looks down at herself, and blushes.   
“Excuse me!” she runs upstairs, “Make yourself at home!”  
Yuri waits for her footsteps to go quiet before travelling further into the house. Spotting the kitchen beyond the dining hall, she makes her way to the refrigerator and cautiously opens it. Inside are a carton of eggs, a half-full gallon of milk, a six-pack of beer with two cans missing, coffee creamer, and a jar of jam. She sees tupperware full of leftovers scattered around, as well as vague shapes within the compartments at the bottom. Hearing Natsuki return to the living room, she shuts the door and strides back into the dining room.  
“There you are,” Natsuki walks over, now dressed in a pastel pink shirt with the silhouette of a cat’s face on the chest pocket, and a pink ruffled skirt.   
“I’m sorry,” she pulls at the collar of her turtle-neck sweater, “I was curious about the layout of your home, since I’ve never been here before, and…”  
“Oh, well, I can show you the kitchen, if you want. Do you have anything in mind for dinner?”  
As they enter, Yuri looks over the doors of the fridge, seeing that she had missed its decorations previously. There are several papers with large red ‘A’s, held by round, colorful magnets. On a small white board is a grocery list--cheese, flour, onions, rice-  
“Yuri?” Natsuki taps her shoulder. The girl yelps and turns back to her, her hands grabbing at the air before she remembers her recent haircut. With a blush dusting her cheeks, she twirls a strand of fringe and stares at the floor tiles.  
“Sorry, I must have spaced out. Um, were you asking me a question?”  
“Just what you wanted me to make you,” she opens the fridge, causing Yuri to step to the side, “We have enough eggs for omelets, and some sausage links, too, so how about breakfast for dinner?”  
“Oh, that sounds lovely,” she smiles.  
“Alright! You stay back, and let me take care of this!” Natsuki rolls up her sleeve and flexes her thin bicep. Yuri giggles, and walks to claim a seat in the dining room, looking back to watch the girl crack an egg into a metal bowl. After a few more eggs are cracked, she stirs them together until they converge as a yellow, slimy pool. With a quick spritz of non-stick vegetable oil, she pours the eggs onto a frying pan and turns the dial of the stove. Blue flames lick at the bottom of the pan, growing and shrinking, until she adjusts the knob at three   
The girl looks over at Yuri and grins, “Now we just have to wait a little while!”  
“Do you have anything in mind to pass the time before they must be attended to?”  
She furrows her brows in thought, a blush rising over her cheeks, and turns away, “Uh, maybe we can, I don’t know, talk about ourselves?”  
“If you have any particular interest in my life outside of school, I will do my best to share,” Yuri offers a reassuring smile.  
“Okay,” Natsuki runs her tongue over her molars, “Do you… have any siblings?”  
She nods, “I have an older sister, Tsubaki. She’s twenty-two, and the head of my father’s publishing company.”  
“Your dad has a publishing company? That must be pretty cool. What does he usually print out?”  
“Well, he was most fond of mystery novels, and always supplied constructive criticism to works he rejected. It was quite common, actually, for the authors to revise their books and send them back to him,” her mouth relaxes into a poker face, “I can imagine they appreciated his passion to guide them as better writers, as many stayed loyal to the company years after he passed.”  
Natsuki blinks, “P-Passed? You mean he…?”  
“Oh, I’m sorry! I ruined the mood with something sad again, didn’t I?” she winces.  
“No, I… It’s okay, Yuri. It just caught me off-guard,” her nose picks up the scent of egg beside her, and draws her attention back to the stove, “We can pretend it didn’t happen, if you prefer.”  
“Yes, please. It… It just slipped out,” Yuri hides her face in her hands while Natsuki flips the mass of fried eggs with a plastic spatula.  
“Then, um, do you… like video games?”  
“I don’t think I’ve ever played video games, so I can’t say that I like or dislike them.”  
The girl whips her head back to her, eyes wide and mouth agape. She drops the box of frozen sausages that she had pulled out of the freezer, and it bounces off the tile floor below.   
“Get a plate and go to the living room. I’m showing you 'Legends of the Last Fox Demon’.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for a couple of slurs

During gym, Monika excels at badminton. Though she lacks the competitive nature that her friends hold during these matches, she and her partner manage to take second place in the class roster, after winning against four other teams. She steps out of the grimy locker room shower, her towel damp as it hugs her curves, to find that her uniform and gym clothes are missing. Behind her, a couple of girls snicker.  
“Hm, that’s a shame,” she says, and walks over to the ‘Lost and Found’ bin sitting next to fish out a spare shirt and pair of bloomers, letting the towel fall to her feet.  
“Wow, Monika, so shameless,” a voice called out over muffled laughter.  
She pulled the shorts over her rear and turned to face them, her bare chest uncovered as she flips her dripping wet hair over her shoulder, “What’s there to be ashamed of? I’m gorgeous.”  
The bully’s friend sneers, “I’d say you’re easy.”  
“Oh? Are you saying that because you want me?” she sticks her head and arms through the shirt and tugs it over her stomach, “Play your cards right, and you may have a chance at a date with me.”  
“I’m not a dyke, you bitch!” the girl shoves Monika, but she only stumbles two steps back, “What is wrong with you?!”  
“Hey, I was just kidding,” she shrugs as she brushes past them to borrow a hairbrush from a friend of hers.  
Her classmate, Kimiko, leans in close, “You shouldn’t mess with them like that, Monika. They could do much worse to you.”  
“I’ll be okay,” she winks. After the bell rings, she waits for the locker room to be empty before searching for her clothes.  
“Damn it,” she mutters, “They must have put them in one of their lockers. I guess I could go home and change before free period ends.”  
On her way to her apartment, Monika shivers at the cold breeze, her skin prickling with goosebumps. She sighs in relief when the jagged side of her key pokes her thumb from inside her bag, and she unlocks the door. Stripping out of the gym uniform, she pulls out a random bra and pair of panties from the top drawer of her dresser.  
“Ugh, I don’t wanna go back,” she whines as her deft fingers button her white shirt closed. Once her skirt is zipped up and her blazer is smoothed down, she walks back out the door.  
When she opens the door to the clubroom, Sayori’s groans fill her ears, and she sees a puffy ice pack held against the girl’s head.  
Yuri looks up from the desk she was scrubbing clean, “Oh, there you are, Monika!”  
“Hello, you two~” she sings, “Are you okay, Sayori?”  
“Lockers hurt,” her friend replies, “Natsuki’s in the closet, too.”  
As Monika takes a few steps forward, Yuri speaks up, “Ah, I wouldn’t go in, if I were you. She said she wanted to be alone.”  
“What’s all this?” she gestures to the desk.  
“Just some graffiti a student drew earlier. I’ll have it washed off soon,” she tries to hide the foul language scribbled in black marker. ‘RETARD’, Monika reads.  
“Yuri,” her voice is calm, but low, “Did Natsuki see this?”  
“Um, well, I… When I entered, she was already inside the closet, and…”  
“Let me handle this, while you check on her.”  
“What? But-But she told me-”  
“She’s probably too proud to ask you for comfort. It sounds like her, anyway,” Sayori argues, “I say go for it!”  
Yuri swallows, glancing to Monika for approval. When she receives a nod, the girl rushes to the back of the room and swings the closet door open. For a fleeting moment, Monika catches a glimpse of pink hair before the door shuts.  
Sayori sprawls over her desk, “I wish we were popular like you, Monika. They’d never pick on us, then.”  
With a sympathetic smile, she wipes at the blurred letters with a soapy handkerchief.


	11. Chapter 11

“Um, Natsuki?” Yuri whispers, “I know that you said you wanted to be left alone, but… I don’t know. I just… I came in here without a plan, and I should have knocked, but I remember how sad you looked-”  
“Yuri,” the girl’s voice cracks, “You’re overthinking things again.”  
“Sorry. I can come back later, or get you something from the vending machine downstairs,” her fingernail picks at a patch of tough skin on the side of her thumb, before she draws it to her mouth and clamps the hangnail between her teeth.  
She shakes her head and pats at the empty space beside her, “Just sit down already.”  
As Yuri approaches, her footsteps light and hesitant, and slides her back down the wall, Natsuki looks up the line of shelves to her right. Her eyes stop at a pair of wooden boxes sitting on the top shelf, out of her reach even if she were to stand.  
“Everyone just won’t stop messing with me.”  
“Oh,” Yuri pulls her arms tight against her chest, as if taking up less space, “I’m sorry, if I did something wrong.”  
“No, it’s not you. It’s Sasaki, and school, and Monika…”  
The girl follows her gaze to the top of the bookcase, “She moved your manga again, didn’t she?”  
Natsuki ducks her face behind her knees, “Why can’t she leave my stuff alone? I already told her I can’t bring them home, and the teacher has plenty of room on the other shelves. She never messes with your things, so, what, is it to make fun of me or somethin’?”  
“Um, I always wanted to know… with your father, and manga…”  
“Ugh, he thinks it’s for kids and it’ll only give him another reason why I need to be more mature. He was so proud I joined a club this year. If he finds out I did it to read manga, he’ll probably make me quit and try out for soccer.”  
“I never knew he was like that.”  
“Well, he’s not a bad guy, just has dumb ideas. He thinks school and work have to be super professional, and if my grades start slipping, I have to do extra chores around the house.”  
“My sister is like that as well,” Yuri leans her head back to rest on the wall, “But I know she worries about me after highschool.”  
She spares a glance to the girl, “I always figured you were gunning for a full ride to a top college. You’re, like, the smartest person I know. Not too hard in this place, but I still mean it.”  
“Thank you, Natsuki, but Tsubaki fears that my personal worries will hold me back from success. Although I often overthink how others see me, I also struggle to connect with them. People… they are so complex, and unique, that I cannot find a pattern.”  
“You look for patterns?”  
“I look for security in the form of consistent behaviors. Sayori is a lovely example, as she always works hard to make everyone around her happy, even when she herself is sad. She is simple.”  
Natsuki quirks an eyebrow, and after a pause of silence, Yuri gasps.  
“Oh! Wait, no. That sounded harsh. I promise I meant it as a compliment!”  
“So, what about me?”  
“You?”  
“Do I have any behaviors you like?”  
Her hand moves to touch her hair before settling on rubbing the back of her neck, “From what I’ve observed, you persist in your interests. You defend manga, practice new baking recipes, and you don’t change your writing style. If I can be honest, I’m somewhat relieved you’ve never listened to my criticism.”  
“Why’s that? So I wouldn’t surpass your talent in fancy-talk?” she smirks.  
“Because your poetry has started to grow on me.”  
Natsuki blinks away the playful expression from her face, her lips parted in surprise as she considers Yuri’s remark. She has spent weeks mulling over every line, every rhyme, erasing and rewriting entire stanzas until her final drafts barely resemble her originals. And for Yuri to confess that she enjoys her simplicity, even a little bit, is worth the late nights hunched over her desk, surrounded by crumpled papers scribbled with nonsense.   
Sayori and Monika have always supported her, but it felt disingenuous. They were the President and Vice President--of course they would encourage her in their club! But Yuri had no reason to lie about her feelings, and she still doesn’t. For the first time ever, Natsuki felt a real compliment. Someone likes her writing. A literary genius likes her writing. Yuri likes her writing.   
“Uh, thanks,” she slaps her hands over reddening cheeks, “Your stuff is pretty nice, too, I guess.”


	12. Chapter 12

“Do you four understand why you’re here?” the guidance counselor asks, glancing at each of the girls as they sit before her. To the far left, Natsuki brushes a spoonful of white rice off her shoulder, a few stray grains sticking to the fabric of her blazer. Beside her, Sayori sneaks a bite from the cookie in her pocket.   
Monika looks to the floor solemnly, “Because we started a fight in the cafeteria and the gym.”  
“And the library,” Yuri whispers.   
“And the library.”  
“I could have you all expelled for this behavior, but considering the unusual circumstances of separate incidents at the same time, by members of the same extracurricular club, I’m very curious about these events. Miss Drescher, for you to have been involved in this after a perfect record concerns me.”  
“Well, it’s a bit of a long story. You see…”  
An hour earlier, Monika had been running. Everyone was running. Just a few laps around the red track behind the school was enough to make most of her classmates lurch forward in a heap of sweat and tears. But Monika persisted. It was the end of her final turn when she felt a lump of a shoe over her own, causing her to stumble. The next moment she looked up, she watched a delinquent jog to the finish with a smirk.  
“Hey, Drescher. Didn’t see you there.”  
“I highly doubt that,” she rolled her eyes before crossing the line of chalk. The next half hour flew by with a game--red tails versus white tails. Chasing and blocking, with nowhere to hide on the clear field until the strip of cloth tucked into your shorts is pulled out. Monika just kept running, a stack of red tails collected from her victims waving wildly in her hands. She heard a yelp behind her, and took the risk to spare a glance. The boy struggled in a chokehold while his second bully flaunted her prize--a dirty, off-white tail that hung limply between her fingers. Monika looked around for the gym teacher, when the girls took notice of her.   
“Drescher!”  
She didn’t even look at them; she just turned and ran again. It wasn’t long before a pair of arms wrapped around her middle, however, and slithered under her elbows for their hands to push against her head from behind. The obnoxious cackling that followed grated her ears, as though her heart should be pierced with unwavering fear. But she was only left irritated.  
“Aren’t you wishy-washy, huh? When it’s one of your dumb little followers getting in trouble, you get all self-righteous. But, anyone else needs help, and you turn your nose up,” the girl sneered, “How hypocritical can you be?”  
Monika smirked, “As opposed to consistently harassing others without fail.”  
“Hey, we’re just being true to ourselves. Isn’t that what teachers always tell us to do?” she leaned in closer, “And look what happens. We get what we want.”  
“And what exactly is it you want?”  
The delinquent smiled deviously, and reached behind Monika’s back to pluck out her tail. In a rush of adrenaline, she curled her stomach forward and flung her legs around the knees of her bully holding her arms until they buckled, throwing the both of them off balance. As they fell forwards, Monika felt the pressure on the back of her head disappear, the other girl moving her hands to catch herself, and prompted the opening to block her face with her arms. She quickly rolled out from under her attacker’s body, and stumbled into a sprint.  
“What the hell?!” she heard the leader yell behind her, and assumed she took chase. Monika raced back through the double doors leading to the gymnasium, making a beeline for the storage closet. She tipped over the cage of soccer balls, and grabbed a tennis racket from the shelf to her right with a pile of balls in their small plastic tubes. Once the echoing footsteps appeared behind the closet door, she drew her foot back, and-  
“Okay, I understand now,” the woman rests her elbows on her desk, her fingers laced under her chin, “I hope you see that this was beyond the necessary force of self-defense, considering you also had time to reach your gym instructor.”  
“Yes, ma’am.”  
She nods, and looks at Yuri, “And you, Miss Fujiwara? I’m well-aware of your past with Miss Yamada and her friends, but the report here says that you initiated this incident. Would you mind telling me what happened?”  
“Oh, um, okay,” she fiddles with the sleeves of her uniform, thinking back to the earlier events of the day.


	13. Chapter 13

The Nippon Decimal Classification--what a gift to bestow upon the world in the midst of disorder and chaos, Yuri thought, as though Eris herself spoon-fed Atlas. Her finger traced along the spines of books lining a top shelf, but her mind wandered beyond the narrow halls of her safe haven. Sayori would try to color-code the covers, until Natsuki yelled at her to put them back. She smiled to herself, imagining the poor girl scolded like a puppy as her friend wore her typical pout that could only make her look cuter.  
Slipping a novel out of its place, she slid into an empty seat and flipped past the author’s note. The chapter began with a rather putative monologue about the patterns in history: war that never really ends, as the conflicts are never resolved by either party. Once she laid her eyes on ‘viridescent’, she turned the book upside down and sifted through her bag for her notebook; that was when she heard the first fit of muffled giggles in front of her. Amidst the curtain of dull brown hair, a streak of electric blue flowed over the girl’s shoulder, her friend sporting a grey cloth mask under her glasses.   
Yuri frowned, wishing she could ask them to be quieter, or leave for a more peaceful place, but mostly that there were faculty nearby. She supposed the club room would be available, before remembering there was a class taking place in-  
“Hey,” the girl with glasses spoke up, “Why’re you lookin’ at us like that?”  
She stirred out of her silent thoughts, “Wha-huh?”  
“You mad or somethin’?” the first girl rose out of her seat, jutting her chin out the same way Natsuki does when she wants to move a majority vote in her favor. The image made her smile, but a hand slamming down on her table forced her to focus on the students facing her.  
“Now you’re smiling?” she leaned in close, “What the hell is your deal?”  
“Um, I, um,” Yuri lowered her gaze onto her notebook, “I just thought-I thought you were someone else.”  
“Oh? Well, tell us, who’d you think she was?” her friend covered the pages with her own hand.  
“No one,” she collected her things and stood up straight, “I’m sorry, I should go-”  
“Ari, I think it was that little pink girl in her club with Monika.”  
The girl’s face twisted into a sneer, “I don’t look like that midget.”  
“I don’t really remember what happened next,” Yuri mumbles, “I just… I guess I lost myself when she said that.”  
“Miss Nakamura’s nose is broken, and there are some very bad claw marks around her neck. I’m sorry, Yuri, but I will have to suspend you for at least the rest of the week, and contact your legal guardian.”  
“I understand.”  
“Wait, no,” Natsuki protests, “It was self-defense, wasn’t it? They were invading her personal space and intimidating her!”  
“And they will be dealt with as well, but the altercation was escalated to physical violence due to Miss Fujiwara’s actions when she threw the first punch.”  
Sayori throws her arms around her friend, “But this is Yuri we’re talking about! She doesn’t deserve to be suspended!”  
“No, it’s alright,” she sighs, “My behavior was inappropriate, and I must face the consequences of my actions. I will call Tsubaki to meet with you today.”  
“Thank you,” the counselor scribbles a message in her notes, “Now, let’s continue onto you two, Miss Saito and Miss Akamine. Who would like to start?”  
Sayori pulls away from Yuri to fidget with her fingers, “I can go first. So, it actually started before lunch…”


End file.
